


To Friendship and Beyond

by ChristineThalassinou1990



Series: Chosen Family [4]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: Jedi Apprentice Series - Jude Watson & Dave Wolverton
Genre: Alternate Universe, Caring Dooku, Changeling Puma Qui-Gon, Changeling Puma Tahl, Changelings love soft plushies, Cuddling & Snuggling, Dad Dooku, Family Fluff, Fluff, Gen, Sick Jedi, Sickfic, Supernatural Elements, plush toys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-30
Updated: 2019-03-30
Packaged: 2019-12-26 13:05:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18282911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChristineThalassinou1990/pseuds/ChristineThalassinou1990
Summary: After moving to Serenno, Qui-Gon starts to find his own way: he has a loving and supporting family, he attends to a very good university and he begins developing deeper feelings toward his one and only changeling friend. Of course flu has to ruin everything... or not so much?





	To Friendship and Beyond

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [A Purr-fect Holiday](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17547083) by [verhalen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/verhalen/pseuds/verhalen). 



> It is recommended to read "A Purr-fect Holiday" by verhalen first

Qui-Gon had a vague feeling in the morning that perhaps he shouldn’t have gone to the university today, for he was a bit weak and dizzy, but his sense of duty proved to be stronger. He had a very important practical course today that he didn’t want to miss, so he got himself together and went without a word of protest.

Now, however, he began thinking that it was a bad idea after all. He made it through his very important course but during the lecture after it he started to feel really ill. His head hurt, his muscles ached and he had a mild nausea.

“Hey, Qui, are you okay?” his friend Jeremy asked, whispering; Qui-Gon felt his worry clearly.

He just shook his head, but the movement just made it hurt more, and he couldn’t hold back a miserable whimper. That made their professor aware as well that something was amiss.

“Is there a problem?” she asked, more concerned than angry because of the interruption of her lecture.

“Sorry, ma’am. Qui-Gon feels sick” Jeremy replied, already helping his friend to stand up. “I’ll escort him home.”

“Of course” the professor nodded with a friendly smile. “Get well soon!”

“Thank you…” Qui-Gon murmured, and he managed smiling at her on his way out.

It was still a strange feeling even after two months that he was attending a school where people actually liked him and meant him well. In the Jedi Order, where he spend the first 23 years of his life, his teachers and peers mostly avoided him and didn’t care about him at all; and that was the better option. For a few times, when he was still little, there were a handful of people who hurt him on a regular basis; only verbally and psychologically, but it was still enough to cause him considerable emotional damage. The supportive love and care Dooku and Nyrih provided him during these years wasn’t enough to shield him from this kind of harm completely.

“We should get something for you, an Aspirin or something like that… The uni has a doctor, I’ll get you there first, okay?” Jeremy suggested, and Qui-Gon felt too weak to contradict.

Soon he sat on a comfortable couch, and a friendly female twi’lek asked him a few questions about how he felt. Qui-Gon answered as best as he could.

“Flu’s beginning very early this year…” she muttered, preparing a medicine-filled drink for Qui-Gon.

“I’m a changeling… I shouldn’t have flu…” the ex-Jedi protested weakly as the twi’lek gave him the cup.

“Being a changeling doesn’t mean perfect immunity against illnesses, I’m sure your mother mentioned that. You just catch illnesses much less frequently than humans do. However, when you’re in a stressed condition, like now, with your family moving, you leaving your home and starting a new life on a new planet, moreover, starting to learn in an university where expectations are very high, your immune system predictably gets weaker. That’s why you’re sick right now” the doctor explained, stroking Qui-Gon’s arm as a comforting gesture.

Qui-Gon tended to forget that being the adopted son of the Count of Serenno and the most devoted Jedi healer in the Galaxy meant that many people knew him, even if he didn’t know them, and his parents made sure that the university he attended was perfectly prepared for him in every possible way. He even assumed that Nyrih and this kind twi’lek were good friends.

“Would you like me to call your parents so they could pick you up?” she asked, smiling at him with the kind of care every true healer would.

Qui-Gon nodded, knowing that he was behaving somewhat childish, but as a changeling, he’d always reach out to his pack in trouble, regardless his age. He just needed his family right now, full stop. The twi’lek didn’t reach Nyrih, so she tried the Count himself.

⃰

Dooku was reading a report on the capital city’s infrastructure and the possible ways of its improvement when the comm panel in his office signalled an incoming call. When he saw that someone from the university was trying to reach him, he answered immediately, knowing that Qui-Gon was yet supposed to be there.

“I apologize for disturbing you, Count, but your son asked me to call you” a female voice said. “He’s got the flu and you need to come here and bring him home. He isn’t well enough to travel alone.”

Dooku had already been standing up and grabbing his cape as he answered.

“Thank you for notifying me, I’m on my way. Please tell him I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

He switched off the comm panel and left the office, leaving it to his assistant to deal with any kind of business for the rest of the day. Then he jumped into his speeder and headed toward the university campus.

The Count of Serenno was not an everyday guest in the university, however, he did attend celebrations regularly there, as a patron of the institute should. So now he couldn’t help but notice how teachers and students alike stopped whatever they were doing and watched him curiously. Dooku nodded to them in his most aristocratic way, and it was enough to jerk them out of the trance they were in.

Soon he reached the tiny sick bay where Qui-Gon was waiting for him, and his first thing to do was to check his son all over. There were two other people in the room, a twi’lek female, the doctor, and a young human male Dooku recognized as Jeremy; he knew he was Qui-Gon’s first friend here.

“Thank you for watching over my son” he said, his rich, deep voice full of genuine gratitude.

“No problem, sir… I mean, My Lord, or… er… Count?” Jeremy stammered, completely out of his depth about how he should address this distinguished noble.

Dooku laughed wholeheartedly.

“’Sir’ is perfectly fine, young man. But now I’ll take this sick little one home” he said, scooping Qui-Gon up into his arms with the help of the Force; the changeling hugged his neck and buried his face into his shoulder.

“Make sure he drinks and sleeps enough, and he should be alright in a few days” the doctor said, and Dooku nodded obediently.

“I will. Thank you.”

⃰

Qui-Gon spent the way home in a half-asleep, languid state, and the next thing he knew that he was in his room he shared with Obi, and Dooku helped him to change into his sleeping T-shirt and sweatpants.

“Where’s everybody…?” he mumbled as he lay down and Dooku tucked him in, giving him his beloved plush toys: his old lion named Liam and the cat he bought for himself in Kitty Land on Alderaan and hadn’t decided on his name yet.

“Nyrih’s working late today, and Obi and Tahl are in the park, most probably eating way too much ice cream because she can’t say no to your little brother” Dooku answered, the warm fondness in his voice almost palpable.

Even in his miserable condition, Qui-Gon’s heart began beating faster even with the mention of her name. Tahl was the only other changeling Qui-Gon had ever met, and the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen. He fell for her hard and fast, however, he wasn’t yet ready to admit it, not even to himself. So he admired Tahl from a safe distance and was very careful not to mention any of his feelings to her. They were just friends, and he was determined not to want more.

“I’m thirsty” he muttered, hugging Liam and trying to think about something nice; Tahl was perfect for it.

Dooku brought him a cup of water, then after Qui-Gon drank it, he used a gentle Force-suggestion to help him fall asleep. Soon, his son was indeed fast asleep, curled up and hugging his plush lion tight.

⃰

A few hours later Obi and Tahl arrived home, and Obi instantly threw himself into Dooku’s arms when he discovered that his dad was at home as well.

“Hey” Tahl smiled at the Count. “You’re home early.”

“Yes, well, I got a call from the university that Qui-Gon is ill and I went to pick him up and bring him home. He’s sleeping so be quiet, okay?” The last sentence was for Obi, who was a very lively kid.

“Okay” Obi nodded solemnly and stayed with Dooku; Tahl, however, went upstairs and sneaked into the boy’s shared room.

She moved as silently as a ghost, so she managed not to wake Qui-Gon, who was indeed sleeping, although, it was clear that he was ill. Tahl felt it through the Force, and even his smell wasn’t right. She smelled sweat and sickness beneath his usual scent of earth and sunlit forests; and she wanted to help above anything else.

Tahl was a changeling as well, it was one of her basic instincts to help and protect her pack mates; and she accepted Qui-Gon as such almost from the very beginning of their friendship.

“Hi...” she heard suddenly; she was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t realize Qui-Gon woke up.

“Hello there” Tahl smiled at him, sitting next to him on the huge bed. “How’re you feeling?”

“Cold...” came the reply, miserable and barely above a whisper.

“Oh... wait a minute and I...” Tahl looked around for a spare blanket, but then she had a much better idea.

Since Qui-Gon was a changeling puma who shared his bed with his brother, said bed had a pretty impressive size. That meant that Tahl had enough space beside a Qui-Gon in his human form even if she changed; and she did exactly that. She changed into her sleek and petite puma form and snuggled to his side, resting her head on his shoulder and purring friendly as a comforting gesture.

Qui-Gon smiled at her sleepily, hugging her as he hugged his plush lion; and she’d never felt safer in her entire life like she felt now, as the pseudo-plushie of a sick Qui-Gon Jinn. She mewled silently, and a few minutes later both of them were fast asleep.

**The End**


End file.
